Weekly Photo Challenge: The Road Taken

If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.
~ Seth Godin ~

Every once in a while we take a road we wish we didn’t, but once we make it to the other side, we realize it was worth it.

This is exactly how I felt when we journeyed the Bachelor Loop, near Creede, Colorado.

As you approach the start of the loop, you come across the old abandoned mining town you see in the photo. I was in awe of the buildings perched on the side of the mountains, and could only image what life was like for the men who once worked in them.

But this surprising and beautiful scene was only the beginning! Armed with information we gained from TripAdvisor, we felt confident to venture up the road and around loop, with me at the wheel of our 4 wheel drive Nissan Pathfinder.

When we took the first turn past this old mining town, I immediately realized there was no turning back as the back wheels of the SUV started to slide to the edge of the gravel road, and a cliff!

OMG was an understatement! The pivotal moment came when my husband asked me to put the SUV in park so he could take over, but I argued that if I did that we would for sure slide off the cliff while we were trying to change seats! So I reluctantly pressed on…

I was white knuckled most of the time, especially when that mountain man came barreling past us in his pickup truck as if he were driving on a highway. Did he not know how dangerous this road is?!

I wish I had more images of the drive around the loop, but I found this YouTube video by fossilegirl1 that gives you idea of the condition of the road. Of course she appears to be doing the loop with an off-road vehicle: smart girl. Driving up the Bachelor Loop

It took us over an hour to do the loop, and I saw sights I have never seen before, and probably will never see again. But I am so thankful I did it! And I ended up driving the whole way!